A whine sounded to his left.
That was definitely a dog. He decided to take a chance. He needed that dog to make some more noise or this could be a long night. “Hey, boy, you out here?”
“I thought we were being quiet,” Roxie whispered.
“We were when we thought there might be some intruder waiting to jump us,” he replied. “But it’s obvious what happened.”
“Excellent, then please inform me.”
He would have but the dog started barking frantically as though he’d figured out all was not lost. Zep took off at the sound.
“Hey!” Roxie yelled behind him. “I thought we agreed that you would follow my lead.”
He would have if there had been something criminal going on out here, but this was the one place he felt like the expert. He knew the woods and he knew how to deal with all creatures great and small and in between. They weren’t dealing with a dangerous creature. They were dealing with one who wanted to be saved. The barking kept up, and he could hear rustling as though the dog was stirring up leaves and dirt.
He held up his phone and there was the dog, its whole body wriggling with excitement.
“It’s a puppy,” Roxie said with a sigh. “Why is it tied up?”
She held up her flashlight so he could slide his phone in his pocket. He dropped to one knee and the puppy immediately started licking his face. The dog was tied to a tree, a choke collar around his throat, but he was practically vibrating with excitement. Archie certainly had not done this, and there weren’t any homes out this way where someone might have tied a dog to keep it safe while the owner went hunting or fishing. And he used the word “safe” sarcastically since this puppy hadn’t been safe at all. There were predators out here. A whole lot of them, and many would look at this puppy as a nice snack.
“Someone got sick of him.” He eased the choke collar off and inspected the dog. “Her. She’s a girl. Likely someone bought their kid a pet and then wouldn’t put the work in to train it. She’s a Lab. They can be rambunctious.”
It wasn’t the first time he’d found a dog abandoned in the woods, though tying the dog up so she couldn’t find her way home was a nasty bit of business. The girl looked like she was in good shape.
“She’s gorgeous. Hi, sweetie.”
He’d never heard Roxie’s voice go so soft before. She got down on the ground with him and put her hand out to let the puppy get her scent. She’d obviously been trained a bit on how to deal with anxious dogs, but he could have told her this little girl did not need time to figure out if she liked the people around her. She was a chocolate Lab. She loved everyone.
“She hasn’t been out here long.” Her coat looked good, and though she was thin, she certainly wasn’t starving. “This might have been her first night. And whoever tied the dog up likely used a flashlight to get back. If he walked near the barn, he could have upset the goats. I think whoever did this is likely our rougarou.”
Though he didn’t think whoever had done this had been eating chips in the barn, but he could chalk that up to coincidence.
The puppy licked Roxie’s face and the smile he caught damn near lit up the forest. “She’s so sweet. I hate people. How could anyone leave this little thing to die?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard about anyone getting a puppy lately. A couple of friends of mine recently got some hunting dogs, but they weren’t puppies. I’m going to get a leash on her and I’ll take her home with me for the night. In the morning I’ll take her to Houma and see if she’s got a chip. I would bet she doesn’t.”
Because they didn’t have a vet for miles. A lot of people around Papillon treated their own dogs with the exception of vaccines. He moved to reach into his bag.
Roxie ran her hand over the dog’s head and down her body. “If you find out who did this, I want to know.”
Because she would have a long talk with that unlucky person. Of course, all she could do was talk. He might think about finding that jerk and tying him up overnight in the woods. See how he liked it. “Sure.”
He pulled out the leash he kept in his bag and eased it over the puppy’s head. It wasn’t easy because this was a wriggly pup.
Roxie held her still. “I’m serious, Guidry. I don’t want to have to arrest you again.”
“Arrest me?”
“Tell me you’re not thinking about knocking this guy out and letting him wake up tied to a tree,” she shot back as he gently tightened the leash.